Page 120 of Caressed By Sin
Zoe followed. “Yes, but Azar said he would kill me if I didn't follow them—”
“He can't kill you if he is in Adae's dungeon—”
“But, you are trying to free him.”
“And when I do, Azar will be so happy that he is free, he will not care about killing you.” The ground was mossy and soft.
The forest smelled of wet earth and sweet flower, triggering childhood memories of play in my mind. I remember running barefoot through here as a kid and playing with the other Yumboe children.
Zoe whispered, “Why is it so eerily quiet here? Usually, you hear crickets or grass rustling or something.”
“The Invisible Forest makes no sound unless it wants to. Right now, she is figuring us out.”
“The what? Where are we?”
Without telling Zoe the location, I had given Zoe a picture to teleport us here. He had done so with ease, but now I had to tell him the truth of our mission.
I let out a long breath. “We are in Senegal.”
Zoe shrieked. “You have us on the continent of Africa? We are very far from the portals.”
“Actually, Africa has more portals than any other continent due to humanity beginning here. This is where God formed his first human—”
“I am well aware of the stories. However, why are we in Senegal?”
“About 45 percent of Senegal is forested. It used to be much more. Around the 1990s humans began some sort of deforestation program. They started clearing forests for fuelwood, charcoal, and logging. Others entered the forest for poaching and wildlife trafficking—”
“But why arewehere?”
“My people feared that the humans would clear all the forests, so they united with elves, centaurs, and others to protect a portion of the forest.” I gestured to the trees. “Youcan see this, but humans can't.”
“That is why it is called the Invisible Forest?”
I nodded. “The centaurs live here to protect the land. They kill any person that decides to bring the forest harm.”
Jade shivered and whispered, “Mommy. . .”
“Yes, little one.”
She pointed behind me. “They scare me.”
“Who?” I stopped and turned around.
Ten feet away, five large centaurs towered over us with swords. The top halves of their bodies represented men. Dark brown skin covered their layers of curved muscle. Gold beads hung on the ends of their braided hair.
Meanwhile, the bottom half of their bodies were the torsos of giraffes and zebras.
The centaur in the middle had a giraffe body. Keeping his sword in the air, he trotted forward and stopped two feet in front of us. His nostrils flared, inhaling our scents.
Thankfully, Zoe and Jade kept quiet.
Centaurs could be hostile and short-tempered. Their human-side made them cunning and strategic, yet they were ruled more by wild passions and animal instincts.
It was always best to remain calm and quiet around them, until they felt comfortable enough to talk.
The centaur nodded and then proceeded to trot around us, continuing to size us up.
Silver dust puffed from Zoe's head, showing his nervousness.
